Officers shoot at SUV after pursuit in Serra Mesa

Two California Highway Patrol officers fired their guns after an SUV they had been chasing early Monday rammed their patrol car in Serra Mesa, authorities said. No one was hit by the gunfire.

One of the officers suffered minor injuries when he was pinned by the door of his patrol car but was treated and released, according to San Diego police.

The incident began shortly after midnight when officers spotted a red Acura MDX speeding and swerving on Interstate 805 near Murray Ridge Road and tried to pull it over. There were two passengers inside the SUV.

The driver was directed to pull off onto Phyllis Street, but when officers began to approach the vehicle, the Acura took off, said San Diego police Lt. Matt Dobbs.

At that point, officers learned the vehicle had been taken in a carjacking in Escondido earlier in the evening.

The officers chased the vehicle again, traveling a short distance until the driver turned north on Encino Avenue — a dead-end street. The driver made a U-turn as officers got out of their vehicle, Dobbs said, and accelerated toward the patrol car.

That prompted both officers to fire their service weapons, Dobbs said.

“The suspect vehicle collided with the patrol car as they tried to escape, pinning one of the officers between the door and the patrol vehicle,” Dobbs said in a statement. “The officers attempted to follow the suspect vehicle but lost sight of it.”

San Diego police were called in to assist in the search for the people in the Acura, and the vehicle was found abandoned on Royale Crescent Court, a nearby street.

A 17-year-old girl was found nearby and detained, and a 21-year-old man was also arrested. The third suspect is still at large. It was unclear what charges they could face.

Two hours before the shooting, Escondido police were called to a motel by a man who said his car was taken from him in the parking lot.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the San Diego homicide unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.